A multicenter study evaluating the effects of the Swedish ACE programme

Author  Öberg, Marie

1. Division of Neuro and Inflammation Science, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Department of Otorhinolaryngology in Linköping, Anaesthetics, Operations and Specialty Surgery Centre, Region Östergötland, Sweden

2. The Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linnaeus Centre HEAD, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Sweden.

 Objective: This study investigated the effects of a modified Swedish version of an interactive group education programme: the Active Communication Education programme (ACE) in five  Swedish regions. This study also explored whether the pre- and post-programme outcomes differed with regard to region, age, gender, hearing loss (HL) or the attendance of significant others (SOs).

Design: An intervention study with between- and within-group measurements was applied.

Sample: A total of 77 individuals with hearing impairments and a mean age of 73.9 years (SD=9.8) from five different regions of Sweden participated.

Results: Statistically significant short- and long-term effects were found with regard to communication strategy use, activity, and participation. The ACE programme was most effective for older individuals, women and participants with more severe HL. Individuals who attended with an SO showed a tendency towards better communication strategies. No regional differences were found. The qualitative results indicated that the programme increased individuals’ ability to cope and restored their social identities.

Conclusion: The ACE programme is effective, and is suggested to be implemented in clinical settings and considered as an alternative or additional treatment to hearing aid rehabilitation. Additional studies that include younger individuals and a control group are recommended.